by Jordan Dane
Would he have the guts to follow through with what he’d started five years ago, when he left a shell casing jammed into a boulder and dared justice to find him?
The bathroom door opened and Jacquie peeked out. She had dressed and when she came into the room, she had her purse clutched to her chest.
“I hope I didn’t get you into any trouble,” she said.
Rafael loved how her first thoughts were for him. He didn’t deserve someone as sweet as her. He couldn’t answer the polygraph—the question about if he’d ever committed a felony—because he’d murdered a man in cold blood. He’d taken the law into his own hands when he knew corruption, international borders, and crossed jurisdictions wouldn’t punish the man who’d killed his wife and baby girl, the bastard who had dared to mar their bodies with his sign.
“No. You didn’t,” he said. “You heard her. We have a mission tomorrow. Early.”
Rafael stood and walked toward the door.
“Yeah. Guess we’ll be working together after all,” she said with a sigh.
Jacquie didn’t have to say anything more. Her disappointment had been palpable, but she’d get over it. She’d have to. Rafe had buried his future five years ago in two graves. He would never forget Elena and Ariana. Never. For a brief moment, he’d shoved his pain deep enough to enjoy the pleasures of another woman, but Jacquie deserved better than half a man.
“I heard what she said about your wife and baby.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “I tried not to listen, but—”
Jacquie reached out to him, but he crossed his arms before she touched him.
“I’m sorry, Rafael. I didn’t know.”
Rafe clenched his jaw until it hurt. He didn’t want to see the pity in her eyes, but when Jacquie stepped toward the door with her head down, he couldn’t let her leave, not like this.
“I will not forget what we almost had tonight.” He touched her cheek. “You are the kind of woman who haunts a man’s dreams, and his heart. I wish—”
“Yeah, me too.”
Rafael held her face in both his hands and kissed her deeply. He wanted to cherish the feel of her full lips and the intoxicating scent of her skin. No matter how things had turned out between them, she’d given him a gift.
She’d let him feel normal. For a little while he’d been a man with a woman. No past. No future. He’d have to be satisfied with that.
Chapter 4
Havana, Cuba
Next day
The vibrant and bustling streets of downtown Havana were a feast for Athena’s eyes. Their benefactor, Esteban Ruiz, a Vice President of the Council of State and the man who had procured the services of the Omega Team, had provided transportation for her team from the airport. Athena stared out the window of the limousine as the vehicle drove through the picturesque La Habana Vieja—old Havana—with its restored historic buildings and immaculate streets.
The others on her team were impressed by the capital, but Athena saw the city with different eyes.
Havana, the crown jewel of Cuba, thrived under a façade of progress, bolstered by the tourist trade. But the capital drained any hope of the average Cubano seeing much needed funds from the government spent on the towns and villages outside the city. Too many families lived in squalor, packed into dilapidated slums without basic sanitation, clean water to drink, or food to eat.
Athena had seen it with her own eyes.
“I’ve never been out of Florida.” Jacquie gaped out of every window. “What’s up with all these old cars? They’re kinda cool.”
Athena remembered the city when she visited as a child with her mother and father, but some things hadn’t changed. Brightly colored vintage American cars from the 1950s—with polished chrome and white wall tires—were a constant reminder of a world time forgot.
“These classic cars are iconic now,” Athena replied. “Cuba is a rolling car museum, courtesy of Fidel Castro’s four decade long grudge against the United States. When he banned imports, time stopped.”
Havana blended the old with the new and flourished with life. Narrow cobbled streets were edged by refurbished old buildings with more modern wide boulevards cutting through the sprawling capital of over two million residents. Lavish gardens abounded in colorful flowers with too many monuments and statues to count. Lines of people stood in front of street vendors and haggled while men and women on bicycles dodged traffic and pedestrians. Those who lived and worked in Havana—even on a meager wage—were lucky.
“They have us staying downtown?” Rafael asked. “I thought we’d be more low profile.”
“It would appear our client would like to make a point that he’s livin’ large and in charge.”
Athena had an ingrained distrust of career politicians, no matter which country cultivated them, but for this mission, she would try to keep an open mind.
“We’ll meet Esteban Ruiz in an hour, but I have a feeling there won’t be anything low profile about him or this assignment. He’s throwing us a reception in one of the ballrooms.”
That got Landry and Rafferty’s attention.
“What? They’re throwing us a party just for showing up?” Clive Landry, a retired Force Recon Marine, pursed his lips. “I could get used to this.”
“I hope they have pigs in a blanket. And baby corn.” Sam Rafferty, a former Navy SEAL, nodded his head.
“Nobody eats baby corn.” Landry scowled. “Not on purpose.”
“I eat it,” Rafferty said. “But I never know what to do with the cob.”
“Were you dropped on your head as a child?” Landry asked.
Rafferty said weird stuff just to get under Landry’s skin. Everyone on the team knew it—except for Landry.
When they rolled up to a town square, Athena spied the Gran Teatro, the Grand Theater of Havana, home of the world renowned Cuban National Ballet. Her mother had taken her to the ballet once. She never forgot it. Near the historic theater on Paseo del Prado stood one of the oldest hotels in the heart of Old Havana—Hotel Inglaterra—located across from Central Park and San Rafael, a massive pedestrian boulevard.
Modern hotels, with their towers of glass, lacked soul. Hotel Inglaterra abounded in character with its pristine condition and quaint attention to historic detail and its colonial-style roots. Athena rolled down her window to get a better look as the driver pulled up to valet parking.
Oh, my God. If Esteban Ruiz intended to impress her with the accommodations, mission accomplished.
***
The team checked into the hotel and found their benefactor had provided the best suite in the house. Their rooms were grouped together and had private elevator access that opened to a common foyer and living space. They would have their own bedrooms and baths, but share the rest of the grand accommodations to work in.
“You have thirty minutes before we head down to the reception,” Athena hauled her gear to the closest room and tossed her bag on the bed.
She had only brought one black dress and heels, her standard protocol for a client like Esteban Ruiz. Athena had come to work and bug out, nothing more, but she had bigger things on her mind than dressing for the evening.
She shot a glance to Landry and gave him a subtle nod, a prearranged signal. Rafferty and Landry got to work using equipment they’d brought to sweep for covert surveillance. It didn’t take long for them to find listening devices in several locations and on the hotel phones. Athena ran the shower in her room on full—to distort the sound to make spyware useless—and gathered her team around the Jacuzzi.
“So now we know,” she said. “We’ll have all the privacy of a fish bowl.”
“You want us to destroy their toys?” Rafferty asked.
“No. For now we’ll leave their devices where they are. If we destroy them, they’ll only be replaced. But we can use them to our advantage when the time is right. Let’s play it smart.”
“If this is how they’re playing it, they’ll plant trackers in our gear once we leave our stuff unattended,”
Landry said. “I’ll hide our detection gear, so they don’t find out we’re on to them, but I’ll maintain regular sweeps so we don’t get caught with our pants down.”
“I’ve seen you with your pants down,” Rafferty said. “Trust me. No big deal.”
Landry shot him the stink eye.
“Let’s get ready to meet the man who ordered the surveillance,” Athena said. “We’ll come up with a game plan after we size him up.”
In minutes they were on the elevator, headed down to the mezzanine where hotel staff informed them they would meet Ruiz. As instructed, they took a left off the elevator and followed their ears. Music wafted in the air as Athena and her team walked down the carpeted corridor. Antique furniture adorned the hotel with elaborate floral arrangements in pricey vases and expensive paintings hanging on the walls in gilded frames.
“You’re not getting your pigs in a blanket, Rafferty.” Landry straightened his sport coat. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Don’t bust my bubble, man. I’ll adapt, overcome, and improvise, my brother. There’s always the oxymoron of jumbo shrimp.”
Athena cracked a smile, but when she glanced at her brother, Rafael glared straight ahead. With his posture rigid and muscles clenched, he looked as if he were preparing for an ambush. She caught Jacquie watching him and their eyes met. Athena realized she had noticed the change in him, too.
Maybe Grey had been right. Had she made a mistake to bring him?
Athena didn’t have time to ponder her decision to bring her brother. She walked through the doors of an ornately decorated ballroom with her team fanning out beside her. Once they stepped into the room, a man extended his hand and came to greet them. His expensive suit hinted that he was the man they had come to meet.
“You must be Athena Madero. You are even more beautiful in person.”
Athena held out her hand and the man kissed it. Another woman might have been charmed by the gesture, but she only read between the lines of what he’d said—that he’d seen her dossier and done his research. Why her? Despite the growing reputation of the Omega Team, Athena still questioned why he’d asked for her by name.
“Esteban Ruiz, at your service,” he said, not taking his eyes off her. “Bienvenido a la Habana.”
“Muy impresionante. We didn’t expect such a warm welcome, Mr. Vice President.” She smiled.
“I thought you should meet the more influential people of our city,” Ruiz said. “Many are prominent businessmen or government officials. My staff will make sure to introduce you. Unfortunately I cannot stay long. Pressing business, I’m afraid.”
“Then I won’t keep you,” she said. “Let me introduce my team.”
Ruiz extended a cordial welcome to the members of her team, but when she introduced Rafael, the man narrowed his eyes as he shook her brother’s hand.
“Madero. Same last name. Are you related to Athena?”
At first Rafael didn’t answer, but Athena knew her brother well enough to know he had the same question in his mind as she did. If Ruiz had researched her, he certainly had looked into every member of the team. It would appear Mr. Vice President wanted confirmation, to put a face with the name.
“We share the same father. That is all.”
“I see.” The man nodded and let go of Rafe’s hand, but Ruiz had the stern face of a disapproving father. “Is this your first time in my country?”
“My passport received its first Cuban stamp today.” Rafael nodded.
“I hope it won’t be your last.”
Ruiz had taken special interest in Rafael.
“When can we see the investigation files?” Athena asked, to break up the testosterone overload. “I’d like to get started as soon as possible.”
“Yes, of course,” Ruiz said. “I’ve taken the liberty to deliver the case files to your suite. They should already be there.”
“Good. Are the autopsy findings in those files?”
“There was no autopsy. The man was shot in the head.”
Athena stared at the man, expecting his answer to be a distasteful joke. When he kept a straight face, she pushed for more.
“Did your police retrieve the bullet that killed him?” she asked. “Surely there was ballistics evidence.”
“No. Is this a problem?”
“Well, yes. An autopsy through a coroner or medical examiner is considered standard procedure with a suspicious death.” She took a deep breath to settle her frustration. “I’d like the body to be exhumed. Will the family allow us to conduct our own autopsy?”
Ruiz narrowed his eyes.
“If you need an autopsy, I will authorize it immediately.” Ruiz snapped his fingers and called over one of his men. He gave an order in Spanish to exhume the body, wasting no time.
“There, it is done. The body will be exhumed immediately. You shall have your autopsy by tomorrow morning. Eight sharp. A driver will pick you up by 7:30. I will not let the man’s family stand in the way of justice.”
Athena couldn’t imagine any family, that had lost a loved one to violence, would hinder a police investigation to find the victim’s killer, but she had no doubt Ruiz got off on imposing his authority without asking permission.
“Will we have a vehicle at our disposal?” she asked.
Ruiz hesitated.
“Yes, but you should not travel alone, especially outside the city,” he warned. “With this investigation linked to the Borrego drug cartel, I am naturally concerned for your safety.”
“How is this investigation linked to a drug cartel? You said it was causing unrest between your drug lords, but you didn’t mention what the connection was over the phone.”
“I didn’t tell you the name of the victim is Hector Borrego, the head of a cartel?” Ruiz asked, with a hand over his chest. “Please forgive me. I thought I had. Does this make a difference to you? Are some lives less worthy of justice than others?”
“I didn’t say that,” Athena said.
She noticed her brother glared at the man. Rafe saw through the thin veil of Ruiz’s apology and knew the omission had been deliberate to get them on Cuban soil, after money had exchanged hands and the Omega Team had been hired.
“So you see why I must be informed of all your activities, to protect you. I would not want for anyone on your team to cross the path of these ruthless criminals and face the Borrego cartel alone.”
“We appreciate your concern, Mr. Vice President, but we can take care of ourselves.”
“That was not a request. I must insist you do as I ask. Your government would not take it lightly if harm would find you and I do not want an international incident. Entiendes?”
“Claro que si.” Athena nodded.
“Now please, enjoy the party that is in your honor and we shall talk tomorrow. I would like to hear your thoughts after you’ve seen the evidence.”
Ruiz did not wait for her to answer. He graciously left the ballroom with his bodyguards.
“That suit is a soft-bodied cake eater.” Rafferty stared after Ruiz before he nudged Landry and said, “Come on. Let’s go kill some brain cells. I’m buying.”
“It’s an open bar.”
“Yeah, I know.”
After her men headed for the nearest bartender at the reception, Rafael closed ranks with her and lowered his voice.
“He wanted you on his turf before he mentioned the Borrego cartel. Cabrón! He’s playing us like pawns.” Her brother watched Ruiz leave the room. “What’s the plan?”
Divide and conquer. Athena would have Jacquie set up communications—a direct line to Grey and the resources of the Omega Team computer server—but if her equipment happened to jam their devices, Athena could easily explain the interference. If Ruiz objected too much, he’d have to explain why, and he wasn’t about to admit he’d planted surveillance.
Rafferty and Landry could provide a distraction at the hotel in the meantime.
“We still have time to make it to the crime scene before it gets dark,�
�� she said. “You up for a little recon, mi hermano?”
“Sí, como no.” He fixed his gaze on her and reached for her hand. The sad expression on his face touched her heart. “The burden of justice is on you, Athena Madero. You have the strength and the courage to do what must be done. This I know.”
Chapter 5
Hotel Inglaterra
An hour later
Rafferty and Landry hit the hotel bar in the lobby and made the bartender their new best friend. If Vice President Ruiz had them watched, they would force the man to spread his resources thin. Their sudden move and visibility would act as a diversion for Athena and her brother to slip out of the hotel through the kitchen.
Rafael told Athena he had a plan. Landry would’ve liked to see the kid in action, but that wasn’t his assignment.
“What beer would you recommend, mi amigo?” Rafferty asked the bartender.
“Tourists like Cristal or Bucanero.” The man shrugged as he wiped the counter and threw down napkins. “But for me, I like Cacique or Mayabe.”
“Then Cacique it is.”
“And I’ll have a Havana Club Añejo 7 on the rocks.” Landry couldn’t wait to taste the award winning 7-year old dark rum.
“Very good, gentlemen.”
Before the bartender brought their drinks, Landry felt a tap on his shoulder. A waiter dressed in black had a covered plate in his hands and set it on the bar between them.
“Compliments of our kitchen,” the young man said. “Enjoy.”
The waiter lifted the silver cover and Rafferty nearly lost it. His belly laugh drowned out the music. Piled on the plate were dozens of baby corn. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who’d sent it.
“That Madero kid’s got style.” Landry smirked. “Real classy.”
***
“Before we leave the hotel, we should turn off our phones. Ruiz could track our GPS,” Rafael said. “We’ll have them in case of an emergency, but let’s hope we don’t have to use them.”
